Nim Lewis and the Big Adjustment
by Raviel Eryn
Summary: Dora Longbottom is a child born after the Battle of Hogwarts being raised on the stories of the brave men and women who died because of Lord Voldemort and daydreaming about all the adventures she could have had if she lived during that time. They were all just dreams until one day and experiment in one of her classes goes terribly wrong and she gets flung back in time. Bit AU later
1. Godric's Hollow

Mrs. Luna L. Longbottom sat, rocking her five-day-old daughter, Nymphadora, as she sat by the window of her home in Godric's Hollow. It had been five and a half years since the battle of Hogwarts and she had since settled down and gotten married. Ginny Potter burst into the light purple nursery.

"Are they back yet?" she asked breathlessly as she stopped to lean against the door frame, placing her hand on her stomach. Ginny and Harry were expecting a child within the next month.

"Not yet," Luna said, still rocking, "You really shouldn't run around like that Ginny," Luna continued staring out the window with a melancholy expression on her pale face. Harry and Neville had been called away because of something being amiss at the ministry and Ginny was uncharacteristically worried about them.

"Why not! It's not like playing Quiddich which I haven't been able to do since I got knocked up! And Harry said he'd be back in a few days! Days! It's been almost two weeks! Where are they? What if Harry isn't here when... When..." She started sobbing.

Luna gently laid her sleeping daughter in the crib and walked over to Ginny who was gasping for breath between sobs. "Harry will be back before little James comes along," Luna said kindly, "You'll see. Now how about a nice cup of tea and a talk about this nice article about Nargles the Quibbler posted last week?"

The two women walked down to the quaint little kitchen. Ginny sat down at the table and began to cry more quietly as Luna babbled on about the specific types of people Nargles like and other such things while she made the tea. Luna continued her talking as she brushed the curtains away from the window to let light into the house.

"Oh, Luna!" Ginny exclaimed suddenly. "I've been being such an awful friend! All this time I've spent ranting about Harry not being here when you didn't have Neville with you when little Dora was born. It's not as if I'm alone in my house! I've got mum here and George... And... Oh Luna, I feel so awful!"

"It's alright Ginny, I would have been the same way if it weren't for these roots." Ginny gave her an odd look as Luna continued, "Neville says that they are meant to calm down pregnant ladies. Do you want me to grind some up and put them in your tea?"

"Do you really think they will help?" Ginny asked wearily.

"Yes, of course I think that they'll work." Luna smiled as she began to grind up the roots. "Have you considered any middle names for James?"

"Well, I was thinking Fred; but Harry wants it to be Sirius. I thought we could compromise on something..." she trailed off as Luna placed a mug in front of her, "Thanks..."

Something out the window caught Luna's eye and she got up from the table suddenly. "I think that's them!" she exclaimed as she rushed to look out the window. Ginny rushed out the door to find that Neville and Harry had just apparated in Longbottom's front yard.

"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed as she rushed out to him, "Are you alright? Any broken bones?"

"No broken bones," Harry assured his wife with a smile, glad that she was alright.

Luna leaned against the porch railing, her arms crossed casually. Neville's smile faded as he looked at his decidedly not pregnant wife. Ginny looked at the two of them and began to pull Harry gently out of the yard.

Neville walked slowly up to the porch where his wife was standing. "Luna, I..."

"Hush Neville," she said a little more coldly than she intended as she walked into the house.

"What is it," Neville asked referring to their baby.

"It's a baby, Neville,"

"I mean is it a boy or a girl?"

"Girl."

"Luna I'm sorry,"

"It's alright, Neville, really it is. The safety of the wizarding world is more important is more important than you staying home to take care of me and our child."

"Luna?"

She turned and kissed him, "Do you want to see her?"

He smiled at her, "Of course."

They walked into the nursery where their daughter was sleeping. Neville stood over the cradle and stroked the baby's silky soft cheek. "Hello Nymphadora."

**AN: I know the story might seem a bit slow right now, but I feel the need to go into some background on my OC before I get into the time travel part.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Memorial Day

Five year old Dora Longbottom came bounding in to her mother's bedroom on a particularly warm day in May. "Is the trip today, mummy?" the dark haired girl asked with a grin.

"Yes love, but remember it's a sad trip." Luna replied with a small smile.

"So, we have to be quiet right, mummy."

"Yes m'dear," Neville answered her, walking into the room.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed, running toward him with her arms outstretched. Neville hadn't been home for a few weeks as he had been working at Hogwarts as an assistant for Professor Sprout and Dora was excited to see him. Neville picked up his daughter and swung her around. She giggled as he put her down, "Again, daddy, again!"

"Not now, sweets," he said gently, "Why don't you run over and see if your Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry are ready to go." The little girl skipped away, excited to have a job to do.

"Don't get dirty!" Luna called after her excited five year old. She sighed and sat back down on the bed.

"Are you tired, darling," Neville asked as he sat on the bed next to her. Luna leaned her head on his shoulder.

"No, just sad," she said quietly, "Can you believe it's been ten years already? It feels like just yesterday we were all hiding in the room of requirement waiting for the end of the darkness."

"I suppose it does, doesn't it," Neville murmured, "Feels like just yesterday I admitted to you that I loved you."

"At least some things haven't changed," Luna said, kissing his lips.

Dora came running in the room, her dark blue dress flowing in the air behind her. "Aunt Ginny says that they are ready to go when you are. And she says that if I'm good I can hold baby Lily! And thread!"

"Thread?" Neville asked, confused.

"Did Aunt Ginny want thread?" Luna asked her

"Yes." Dora said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Black thread because James ripped off one of his buttons because he was playing rough because he is bad."

"Of course." Luna said with a smile, "I'll go find my thread."

"Why doesn't she just use _reparo_ to put the button back on?" Neville called after Luna who was rummaging in a basket for thread.

"Sometimes it's good to do things the muggle way, Neville," She said as she pulled a spool of black thread.

They all walked outside to meet the Potters, Neville carrying Dora and Luna holding a basket of flowers and the thread for Ginny. Ginny was holding a fidgeting James by the ear and a crying baby Lily in the other arm while Harry was trying to get two year old Albus's hair to stop sticking up.

Ginny noticed Luna and smiled. Luna put down her basket and took Lily as she handed Ginny the thread. "Thank you!" Ginny said with a grin as she knelt down to sew James' button back on. Harry, noticing that his wife was distracted, cast a spell that immediately made his son's hair sit down.

Harry grinned at Neville, "Ginny's been going on this 'do things the muggle way to teach your children about life without magic' spree ever since she read an article about it in Witches Weekly. It's a bit nice sometimes, but trying to get Al's hair to sit down without magic is bloody awful."

Neville laughed, "I can see that."

"Mum, I'm thirsty," James whined.

"Well, you can have something to drink when we get to grandma's house," Ginny turned to address Harry, "Ron and Hermione are going to meet us there, said that there wasn't any point in coming here and then immediately going to Mum's"

"Alright then," Harry said with a smile, "Luna if you'll apparate with Lily I think we're ready to go."

They all apparated out of Godric's Hollow and into the yard of the Burrow. Ginny, upon arrival, took Lily from Luna with a sad smile and walked toward the open door. James began to follow his mother into the house when Harry gently tugged him on the ear. He turned toward his father. "Now, James," Harry began, "I'm going to treat you and your brother like big boys now okay."

James nodded his okay as his father continued, "Remember last memorial day when mummy cried?" James nodded, Harry being satisfied continued, "This is a very sad day for the grown-ups and I want you to be on your best behavior for me, okay boys?" Both of Harry's sons nodded and he gave them a big hug before shooing them into the house to see their grandmother.

Harry stood up and looked at Neville and Luna who had just finished talking to their daughter about why she should be good. Luna gave permission for Dora to go and play with James on the porch. "Do you want us to stay out here, Harry?" Luna asked, "It may be best if-"

"No," Harry cut her off, "This day is just as painful for you and Neville as it is for us."

"But George-" Luna started.

"He'll be fine with you around, it's probably better to have loads of people around him anyway."

She nodded, grudgingly, before taking Neville's arm and following Harry into the Burrow. Upon arriving in the house she found Mr. Weasley staring blankly at the previous day's paper, Bill and Charlie staring into their coffee cups, Percy twisting his wedding band around his finger, Mrs. Weasley sobbing into the dish water, and Ginny screaming at George who seemed to be the only one in the room not upset about what was going on.

"Drinking isn't going to bring him back, George," Ginny shouted, "And your drinking is just upsetting everyone else!" She watched, furious as George took another swig of firewhiskey. "Today of all days I would think that you would stop! He wouldn't have wanted this," She said, her voice getting softer and more broken, "Fred wouldn't have wanted you to end up like this."

"Yeah, well," George said softly, "There are a lot of things he wouldn't have wanted."

Mrs. Weasley just sobbed harder. Luna, noticing that the whole ordeal was upsetting the children, quickly gathered them outside to play. James suddenly tugged on her sleeve, "Aunty Luna," he asked.

"Yes dear," she replied.

"Did you know Uncle Fred?"

"Yes, yes I did," she told him with a sad look on her face.

"What was he like?"

"Well," Luna began, suddenly deciding that it was high time the children learned about the friends and relatives that were never spoken of in their houses.


	3. The Cemetery

"Well," Luna began again after gathering all of the children near her, "James' Uncle Fred was a prankster, one of the best Hogwarts has ever seen. His Uncle George was too. And together they put on some of the best shows Hogwarts has ever seen. Why once, they even rode their brooms around the hallways and set off the most spectacular fireworks! During some of the darkest days the wizarding world has ever seen they could make us all laugh and-"

James interrupted, "But Uncle George isn't like that now is he?"

"No, he isn't, but sometimes when you lose something terribly important to you, well, you can't smile and laugh and play. It just hurts too much." Luna looked at the group of children around her. Dora had her eyes wide open, James looked thoughtful, Victoire seemed a bit sad and Albus was sucking on his thumb.

"Would you tell us another one, mummy?" Dora asked her blue-grey eyes wide.

"Maybe later, dear," Luna said as she noticed Ron, Rose, and pregnant Hermione walking down the path to the Burrow, "I think we are about to leave."

Ron glanced at Luna as he walked through the door, "Ginny and Fre- I mean George at it again?"

"Yes," Luna replied softly.

Ron strode into the house, making himself known to the people within which abruptly brought an end to the shouting. Luna smiled and ushered the children back into the house. Mrs. Weasley was sitting in a chair, rocking back and forth nervously as Ron kissed her on the cheek. Bill walked over to Victoire and grabbed her hand to guide the little girl over to her mother. Charlie had his hand on George's shoulder and Ginny had tears streaming down her cheeks as she rocked Lily back and forth.

"Well," Hermione said, walking as briskly as she could in her condition, "Let's go to the cemetery."

Once certain that all the children had someone to apparate with, they all apparated with a pop. Upon arrival at the cemetery, Luna began to give flowers to everyone, "A cemetery is such a sad place," she said, "the flowers make it a bit more bearable."

They walked about the cemetery for a while, talking to their children about the people who had died to stop Voldemort and placing flowers next to their headstones. Finally, they came to the grave of none other than Fred Weasley. Mrs. Weasley started sobbing again; Mr. Weasley was holding her as silent tears fell down his face. Bill was holding on tightly to his wife's hand as he stared at the cold, grey stone. Ginny held her baby more tightly in her arms and leaned a bit more heavily on Harry. Percy leaned his head against his wife's and fought off tears that threatened to fall from his eyes. George fell to his knees and let his face fall into his hands as his shoulders shook. Little Dora Longbottom felt as if she had lost something, but wasn't quite sure what is was. All she knew was that she felt sad.

After a few moments, they turned away from the stone, and George, seeming to have decided something muttered something to them about having to leave. He disapparated, leaving the rest of them to finish their walk around the cemetery.


	4. Their Findings

The group returned to the Burrow. None of the lights in the house were on, which was odd, considering that George had been home for several hours. Mrs. Weasley walked to the door and opened it. She turned on the light and screamed in horror at the sight that greeted her. Mr. Weasley ran to his wife's side only to turn around suddenly with a look of horror on his face as he slid to sit on the ground. The others rushed toward the door and Dora heard screams and horrified gasps as they saw the inside of the house.

Luna began an attempt to pull the children away from the door before the saw the gruesome sight that awaited them, but she didn't reach Dora in time. Neville saw this and ran to his daughter in an attempt to spare her. He wasn't fast enough to stop her seeing the inside of the house, but he didn't know it. When he had finally taken her far enough away that she couldn't see the inside of the house he set her down, "Did you see anything in the house?" he asked her.

Little Dora looked at her father and knew somehow that he wanted to know that she hadn't seen what she had so she answered, "No, daddy," Neville looked relieved.

"Stay here," he told her as he walked back toward the house. Dora nodded and as she closed her eyes she could still see George Weasley hanging from one of the stair railings by the neck.

Eventually, the adults got everything under control and allowed the children into the house. Only Dora knew that something was different than it was the last time she had seen the house, but she said nothing. They all stayed at the Burrow that night. Dora didn't sleep at all. She listened to the conversations that were taking place downstairs.

"…Hanged himself…"

"…If I'd known…"

"Nobody's fault…"

She must have fallen asleep, because the next thing Dora knew her mother was waking her and the other children with the promise of pancakes. Dora walked slowly down the stairs, being careful not to touch any of the stair railings. She was very observant for a child and she had noticed some things which worried her. Mr. Weasley sat in a chair, staring blankly at a wall, a seemingly cold cup of coffee in his hand as Ron tearfully begged him to talk to them. Mrs. Weasley sat with tears streaming down her face as Neville slowly bandaged her hand which she seemed to have stabbed with her knitting needle. Ginny looked as if she hadn't slept at all and Percy was sitting next to his wife as he clutched an old sweater. Bill was out in the yard doing something and Dora could see Charlie out there with him. They seemed to be arguing.

Dora knew enough about the Weasley family at her age to know that it was best not to bother them, best not to disturb the sleeping giant so she sat down and ate her pancakes. Afterwards, Dora's mum took all of the children to Godric's Hollow; saying to her husband that it would be better if the small children weren't playing while everyone was so upset.

Days later, there was a funeral for George Weasley. Dora heard that he was buried next to his brother. She and the other children had not been allowed to go as some of the adults believed them to be too young to truly understand what had happened. She understood though, her mum had always taught her that things break; people die, families fall apart, friends lose touch with one another. All things have an end. And little Dora believed her mother one-hundred percent.


	5. Mum's Teachings

On a sunny day in mid-march, Professor Neville Longbottom got an owl telling him that his wife of thirteen years was dead and his ten-year old daughter was motherless. He hurried home to make funeral arrangements for his wife and did so with the coldest manner anyone had ever seen him take on. He said hardly ten words to his daughter whilst he was home and left right after his wife's funeral.

Dora had grown up in the few days her father had been home. Her observant, blue-grey eyes told her everything she needed to know. She knew her father wasn't upset with her; he just wanted things to return to normal. She knew she hadn't seen Ginny Weasley cry so much since that night at the Burrow five years prior. She knew she was never going to see her mother again and she knew it hurt.

_Things break; people die, families fall apart, friends lose touch. All things have an end, _she would whisper to herself on sad nights. She had been staying with the Potters since her mother's funeral and she felt as if she were a burden. There were too many children in the house. She was, therefore, glad when Percy and his wife Amy invited her to stay at the Burrow until it was time for her to go to Hogwarts in August.

Her stay at the Burrow was not as happy as she would have hoped, however. Arthur Weasley hadn't spoken a word since the death of George and Mrs. Weasley had gone a bit insane. Percy was quite obsessed with his work and Dora soon found that she should never ask him about his day, lest she be bored with his talking about things like broomstick regulations. Amy was a bit normal, as was her daughter Beth Weasley, but Beth was four and as a rule, ten year olds rarely play with children that young.

Her stay was, however, quite interesting. She learned in her few months at the Burrow all about the Weasley's life after George's suicide. Bill and Fleur and their children had moved to France, Bill being unable to really find a reason to stay in England. Charlie left for Romania and hadn't returned. Ron and Hermione came to visit rarely as Hermione was working on an important case to bring before the Wizengamot. Ginny and Harry came with their family on Saturday afternoons, but rarely stayed more than two hours.

Normal people would have found life at the Burrow strange, however Dora Longbottom would merely think to herself what her mother had taught her all those years ago, _These things happen, things break; people die, families fall apart, friends lose touch. All things have an end. _

Dora was always careful to never touch the stair rail. She wouldn't even allow her black hair which came down to her waist brush against it. On the day she left for Hogwarts, she left with a smile; glad she would never have to deal with the crazy Weasleys again.


	6. Experimental Charms

The task of taking Dora to Kings Cross Station had fallen to Percy as Amy tended to stay home with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley who were not to be left alone for very long. Percy had taken her to Gringotts to get her a bit of money from her vault and then taken her to the station. He had carried her trunk, and she had followed behind him nervously clutching the strap to her bag. Once on Platform 9 ¾ all of Dora's anxieties about Hogwarts vanished.

She turned to Percy and grabbed the handle of her trunk. "Thanks for letting me stay with you for the summer," she said with a bit of a smile.

"Yes, of course," Percy replied.

Dora Longbottom turned toward the Hogwarts express and walked toward it, not sparing time to look back. She got into a compartment with James Potter and together they bought so many sweets from the trolley that it took them the entire journey to finish them all. They laughed and joked about what house they would get into. James was confident that he would be in Gryffindor like the rest of his family. Dora was unsure; her parents had come from two different houses. She had been hoping for Gryffindor. Surely if she got in her dad would be so proud he would answer her letters, or at least say something to her.

Dora was, in fact, sorted into Gryffindor, as was James. When she went to sit at the Gryffindor table she looked toward her father, desperate for a reaction. There was none. She was not upset, in fact she understood; but that didn't make the rejection hurt any less.

After dinner, she unpacked in her dormitory and listened to the excited conversations of the other girls in the room. It seemed odd to her that they were so excited when classes hadn't even started yet, but she remained quiet, knowing that while she understood some of the most complicated spells in her books, she did not understand people her own age.

On Dora's second day at Hogwarts, she was in charms class. They were practicing a charm that was supposed to briefly open a window into the immediate past. It was a relatively new spell and had only just been put into the text books, but the Ministry of Magic had assured the school that the spell was perfectly safe for first years to practice.

"Now, Dora, try twenty-five seconds into the past," Professor Flitwick told her, worried about teaching this spell to such young children. He would never tell them this, but the spell had barely made it past its experimental phases when it was hurried into the text books.

Dora said the words to the charm loudly, clearly, and correctly; and she promptly flew backwards into a wall. When she awoke, she was in the headmistress's office, but it didn't feel like the headmistress's office. There were no tiny signs of repair on the original architecture that had been nearly destroyed in the battle of Hogwarts seventeen years before. There were pictures missing from the wall. And, strangest of all, she looked up and saw the confused face of a wizard she knew to be dead.

**AN: Reviews are totally welcome! (In fact the kind of motivate me) So tell me what you like/don't like! Thanks for reading!**


	7. Becoming Nim

Dora Longbottom began to freak out, "This can't be real," she half sobbed at the bearded wizard standing above her. "The charm was only meant to go back a few seconds." Tears came falling from the girls eyes. They were tears of terror and anxiety and pain.

The wizard looked at her kindly with the bluest eyes she had ever seen. He reached to help her off the ground and guided her to a chair. "Now," the wizard said after she had sat down in a chair in front of the desk, "How about a cup of tea and you can tell me where it is you're from."

After a few sips of tea Dora answered, "I suppose the real question is when I'm from," she glanced up and saw that the old man was listening attentively to her explanation. "You see, there's no way I'm in the right time. I was practicing a charm in class but I guess it went wrong and I ended up here instead. Of course this could all be a dream, but I doubt it considering the fact that the tea burned my tongue or perhaps a hallucination, but of course I doubt that too. It would make more sense if I've gone back in time. Out of curiosity, what year is it?"

Dumbledore looked at her from behind his desk, a bewildered look on his face, "Its 1989," he said.

"Ah, well, I guess it is a bit of a simple mistake to make, I went back twenty-four years instead of seconds. I did ask the professor if he was sure it was safe though…" she trailed off.

"So say you are from the future," Dumbledore began, "how would I know?"

"You're worried I'm a spy," she stated before she noticed Dumbledore's immediate expression of fake denial, "It's quite alright, I suppose I would think the same thing if I was the headmaster of Hogwarts." She considered for a moment, "However, I have no proof that I am from the future, but I suppose it should be comforting for you to know that I have no proof I am from this time either."

"A rather convincing statement," Dumbledore said with a smile, "So what's your name?"

"Well, my full name is Nymphadora Longbottom, but everyone just calls me Dora."

"Longbottom?" Dumbledore asked in surprise, "As in Neville Longbottom?"

"Yes, he's my dad," Dora replied, sad again as she wondered if her father even knew that she had disappeared.

"Well, Nymphadora, can't you just wave your wand and end up back in your time?"

She shook her head slowly, "No, according to the wizards who created the charm, once a window to a certain time with one wand, it cannot be opened from that time with the same wand. Of course, they were wrong about the charm sending people more than a few minutes back… I still wouldn't risk it. I'll just have to stay here until they come for me."

Dumbledore nodded, "Well, you might as well go to class with the other students here. You don't know how long you may have to wait. I'll get Professor McGonagall to get you settled into Gryffindor house. She'll make sure you get everything you need."

She nodded slowly and began to say something when Dumbledore interrupted, "But wait!" he exclaimed, "We can't have you running around calling yourself 'Dora Longbottom'! That could destroy something! We'll have to change your name a bit." Dumbledore thought for a moment before continuing, "How about Nim Lewis? Do you like that?"

She smiled a bit, "It'll do, for now," she said as she walked out the door toward Professor McGonagall.

**AN: As usual, reviews are appreciated, good or bad!**


	8. Seeing Double

The newly named Nim Lewis walked into the empty Gryffindor common room with Professor McGonagall. The other students were in class, but she didn't have to go to class until the next day. Professor McGonagall had helped her get her school books, robes, and other things which Nim insisted she wouldn't need as she wouldn't be staying long. Professor McGonagall left Nim alone in the dormitory to unpack her things.

"Now to meet the other students," she muttered to herself as she finished unpacking her things and heard the others enter the common room noisily. She sighed, thinking of the back story she and Dumbledore had created for Nim Lewis.

Nim Lewis had muggle parents who had died recently. This was why she was late coming to school by two days. After all, a girl who's just lost her parents needs time to get affairs at her house taken care of. Nim Lewis had no idea how to ride a broom as she came from a muggle family (This was hardly a problem as the two made up the story as Dora had never bothered to learn to ride a broom). Nim Lewis had no friends in the wizarding world, no true understanding of what it meant to be a witch. Her parents had been lawyers. It was all very muggle.

The other students whispered amongst each other about what the late comer must be like. Some thought that she must be snooty, coming to Hogwarts as late as she was. Others thought perhaps she was terribly adventurous and had arrived late from a trip. None of them quite got what they expected.

Nim Lewis realized what a bad idea this was as she walked down the stairs to the common room. She didn't want to give up on being Dora, but that's what she felt that Dumbledore had meant when he told her she shouldn't get her hopes up on her people coming for her. Honestly all Dora wanted was to go home and have hot chocolate with her mother, but Nim Lewis didn't have a mother; Nim Lewis wanted to make friends at Hogwarts.

So Nim Lewis walked into the common room and was immediately greeted by two girls who looked terribly familiar. She soon found out that they were Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell, quiddich players. _Well, quiddich players in the future, not now, _she thought to herself. She smiled and talked to them like she was supposed to and during the time before dinner they became good friends.

As the girls were walking to dinner, something whizzed through Nim's hair. She turned around, startled; but not nearly as startled as she was when she saw the faces of the boys who threw the object. Nim went deathly pale as she recognized the face of a boy who she had last seen hanging from a rope, dead and the face of the other boy must have been his twin whom she had never met.

"George Weasley!" Katie Bell exclaimed, "You nearly scared her to death!"

"Sorry," the twins said with identical grins.

Nim Lewis knew they were only sorry about being caught, but she said anyway, "No, it's alright, that shouldn't have startled me as much as it did." She walked away with her two new friends, but she spared a glance back to see identical looks of confusion on the twins' faces. They were used to being yelled at by the people they pranked, but this Nim Lewis was a different sort.

Nim found that many things at Hogwarts in the past affected her like the Weasley twins. Things like the corridor where she knew that Fred Weasley had died made her blood run cold. Being in the presence of Professor Severus Snape who she also knew to be dead frightened her.

There were also things at Hogwarts that were different in a pleasant way. She found after her first week at Hogwarts that she preferred Professor McGonagall as a teacher rather that as headmistress. As a teacher, Professor McGonagall seemed to be happier, with fewer wrinkles around her mouth and more black in her hair. Nim thought it was lovely.

**AN: Here's the spot again where I say reviews are great and I would love to have them! Thanks for reading!**


	9. Potions Master

Nim Lewis slowly poured a little essence of dittany into her potion. Professor Snape was eying the two identical boys in the corner of the room. Nim discretely followed his gaze and saw that the two were whispering conspiratorially whilst putting things in their cauldron. Nim's potions partner Katie Bell saw this and whispered to Nim, "They'd better not do anything stupid. Snape's in a funny mood and if those two blow something up again, he'll probably give us all detention for the rest of eternity."

Nim glanced up at Katie as she ground a root with a stone, "Probably not detention for _eternity_." She said, frowning; she had never understood the Gryffindors' hatred of the Potions Master. Well, maybe she understood it from their perspective, but from hers Snape was a hero; a misunderstood hero, granted, but a hero nonetheless.

Nim jumped in surprise when Fred and George's cauldron exploded at the end of class. She didn't know really why she was surprised; she knew that that was what they were going to do. Everyone rushed out of the dungeons, not wanting to get detention. She was half way toward the door with her books when she took a moment to look back at the Potion Master cleaning the potion and bits of cauldron off the floor. It didn't look easy to clean up either; whatever the twins had done to the potion was making it nearly as hard as cement.

She walked back over to where the teacher was cleaning the mess up off the floor alone. Snape was startled when she bent down and started cleaning up the potion with him. For the first time she really noticed how old Snape was for his age. He wasn't even in his mid-thirties and it was as if he was ancient. _Too many troublemaking Weasleys, _she thought to herself with the smallest of smiles.

Professor Snape hadn't said a word to her while they were cleaning up the mess and she didn't expect him to say anything. So it startled her when he said, "You'll be late for class."

She turned around to look at him, "It's all right. Professor McGonagall won't count me late."

"But she counts the Weasley twins late all the time, why just last week-"

"Not all of us are troublemakers, Professor," She cut him off with a smile, "Have a nice day." And with her knee length hair floating behind her, Nim Lewis swept out the door to the dungeons with a smile on her face, and leaving the old Potions Master with a more pleasant expression on his face than he'd had in a long time.

Nim walked into Transfiguration nearly ten minutes late. Professor McGonagall looked surprised as Nim tended to be on time. "Ms. Lewis-" The woman began.

"Sorry Professor, someone blew up a cauldron in Professor Snape's class," she paused to glare at the twins Fred slunk down in his seat a bit while George looked proud of himself. She continued, "And I stayed behind to help clean up."

"Ah. Well then, Ms. Lewis I suppose I won't count you late for now, but I will be speaking with Professor Snape to check out your story."

"Of course, Professor," Nim said as she slid into her seat next to Angelina. That night in the Great Hall, there was no detention announced for the Gryffindor first years, and it did not appear that an excessive number of points had been taken.

"What did you do, hex him?" Angelina asked.

"Yeah," Katie said, "Snape hasn't taken any points or given detentions."

Nim sighed at her friends' refusal to accept that the Potions Master wasn't so bad, "No, I didn't hex him. I was nice; you'd be surprised how people react when you're nice to them." Just then, Professor Snape entered the Great Hall without his usual scowl. Even Dumbledore seemed a bit surprised by this, but he didn't say a word about it. Nim smiled to herself, glad of at least one good thing coming out of her month-long stay in the past.


	10. Payback and Quiddich

"What's happening?" Nim shouted, desperate to be heard over the loudness of the first quiddich match of the year. She was wedged between Katie Bell and Fred Weasley on a bench on a crisp Saturday morning in October. Dora Longbottom had never cared to learn about quiddich; so Nim knew hardly anything about the most popular game in the wizarding world.

Katie glanced over to her, "The Seeker just saw the snitch! The game is almost over and it looks like we're going to win!" Katie's brownish hair was falling down into her face and her cheeks were bright red.

"Hey Bell," Fred shouted, "I bet you a kiss Gryffindor will win!"

"In your dreams, Weasley," Katie yelled.

Nim turned back to her book, not interested in what was going on around her. She still told herself that she shouldn't get attached to these people and she refused to let herself have much fun with them. She sighed as the people around her got up and cheered for the Seeker who had caught the snitch; Gryffindor had just won the match.

Back in the Great Hall for lunch, Nim picked at her food. "Something wrong, Nim?" Angelina asked, eying her friend.

"No, Angie, I'm just a bit tired," Nim replied. She was lying, of course, it just so happened that that day made two months since Nim had seen her family, two months since she had been thrown back in time.

"You shouldn't have stayed up all night studying," Katie said.

Nim absentmindedly agreed with her friend, "I'm going to go to the common room for a nap instead of going to the library." She got up, pausing only to detangle a strand of her overly long hair from a fork which Fred and George had apparently stuck in it. She sighed; honestly she'd had enough of the Weasley twins' mischief to last her a life time. She had only been there two months and she'd had frogs put into her water, things tangled in her hair, parchment stolen, glue in her herbology gloves, and so on.

She walked into the common room as an idea was forming in her mind. A chance to get back at the Weasley twins had just made itself known to her. She grabbed a bottle of glue off the mantle and walked into the first year boys' dormitory. Fred and George had left their ties in their room and Nim walked over to them and put glue all over the parts where they would be putting them on. She knew that they hated to wear their ties and only wore them when Professor McGonagall made them do it. She then put a concealment charm on the glue in the ties so the boys wouldn't notice until they tried to take them off.

Laughing to herself about what she had done, she walked into her room and laid down for a nap. Nim slept through most of the rest of the day and through dinner, so Katie and Angelina were worried. The two girls ran up to the room and laughed their worry away when they saw Nim who was obviously sleeping peacefully.

**AN: Thanks to all who reviewed! I look forward to more reviews (and maybe some follow/favorites) Thanks for reading!**


	11. Sticky Situation

Nim watched from her position in the Gryffindor common room as Fred and George Weasley reluctantly put on their ties. Katie was telling her something about an article she had read the night before, but she wasn't listening. All she could think about was the twins' reaction when they realized that their ties were stuck on their necks.

She walked out of the common room with Katie on her right and Angelina on the left. It was almost Halloween and they were telling her all about wizarding world Halloween traditions. Finally, they reached the dungeons where they were to have double potions with the Slytherins. She spared a moment to smile at Professor Snape who was scowling a bit more angrily than usual.

Nim barely noticed the day go by, but during dinner she realized that it was only a matter of time before the twins would take off their ties in the common room. She abruptly excused herself from dinner and practically sprinted to the painting of the Fat Lady that was the entrance to the common room. Upon getting inside the common room, however, she found that the only person in the room was Percy Weasley who was sitting in an armchair by the fire immersed in a book.

She frowned, thinking she had missed the twins' getting upset over not being able to remove their ties. Her frown quickly turned into a satisfied grin as the boys ran out of their room pulling at the satiny fabric around their necks.

"Perce! You've got to help us!" George yelled.

"Percyyyy," Fred moaned, "the ties are stuck to us!"

Not even looking up from his book, Percy Weasley said, "Looks like someone got back at you for pranking them." The twins moaned and started rolling on the floor. Percy looked up from his book and winked at Nim.

Nim was a bit taken aback, _how could he know that I did that, _she wondered, looking away from Percy and turning back toward the twins. "Need help, boys?" she asked innocently.

"Nim, you're smart," George said.

"Yeah," Fred continued, "I bet you could get us out of this… Sticky situation!"

Nim rolled her eyes and was about to give them a bit of a negative response when she thought of something better, "Alright," she began as the twins began whooping with glee, "But I have one condition," the twins groaned, "Stop pranking me!"

"Fine!" Fred said quickly as Nim began to walk to her room. She promptly turned around and with a wave of her wand the ties stopped sticking to their necks.

As she walked up toward her room, she heard Percy Weasley say, "I think you'd better stick to your promise, boys, after all, Nim was the one who glued your ties to your necks in the first place."

She laughed a bit to herself before picking up a book and flopping onto her bed, for once not even thinking about her family or the people from her time who were probably wondering whether she was alright or not.

**AN: Reviews are always welcome (good or bad)! Thanks for reading!**


	12. Fireworks and Christmas

Nim dragged her feet as she walked toward Professor Flitwick's classroom for detention in mid-November. She had been caught outside her dormitory at night while trying to set off fireworks with the Weasley twins. Thinking about it, Nim had decided her punishment was ten times better than the twins because she had not received an embarrassing howler from her mum like they had. However, it did surprise her that Dumbledore hadn't decided to call her to his office to tell her that even if she was technically from the future, she shouldn't cause trouble at Hogwarts.

She pulled her grey sweater a bit more tightly around her slender shoulders as she walked into the cold of the classroom. The cold temperature was greatly contrasted by Professor Flitwick who immediately smiled when she walked in and ushered her to her workspace for her hour long detention. All she had to do was rebind some old books with her wand, one at a time; and even though it didn't take her an hour, Professor Flitwick insisted she return to her common room as she had worked quite enough for one day.

She smiled a bit to herself as she walked back toward her common room and dodged Peeves who was throwing things in the hallway. She passed an empty classroom and thought she heard Dumbledore muttering some incantations, but didn't stop to confirm her sightings lest she be sent back to detention.

Fred and George Weasley had not returned to the common room when she got back. This did not surprise her as Professor Snape had told the boys that they would be serving their detention with him. An obscure image of the twins scrubbing the dungeon floors with toothbrushes popped into her head and she giggled.

In December, Nim came to the sudden realization that she had no one to spend her holiday with. Most of the friends she had made were going home for Christmas. She vaguely wondered how her father was and if he was spending Christmas alone.

On Christmas morning, she awoke expecting no presents. She was happily surprised then, when she found that her friends had sent her things. She had four presents. There was a huge bag of licorice from Katie, a black sweater from Angelina, and a simple silver bracelet chain from Professor Dumbledore. He had included a note with the small, but elegant bracelet.

The note read _Dear Nim; I thought that you would appreciate this mere token for the holidays which, as I understand, you are spending alone. The Happiest of Holidays, Professor Albus Dumbledore. _

She smiled at the note and then glanced at the gift that the Weasley twins had sent her. She carefully pulled of the brown paper and opened the lid cautiously. On the inside of the box there was what appeared to be a firecracker which the twins seemed to have rigged.

_Dearest Nim Whim, We sent you our most beloved fire cracker in the hopes of making your holiday a blast (And so mum wouldn't find it) if you know what we mean…. ~ Fred and George Weasley_

_PS, probably best not to set it off near the school or the forest or anything that could, when set on fire, cause mass destruction._

Nim smiled and took a bite out of a piece of licorice. Later, she walked out to the open field on the way to the quidditch pitch and prepared to set off the fire cracker. It had several places to set it off which would have been a problem for a less talented witch, but with a wave of her wand, it ignited. It flew up in the air and in a wondrous display of color sparkled and shone.

She smiled, _Best Christmas ever!_


	13. Snow and the Quibbler

There was a nice blanket of snow across the Hogwarts grounds when students got off the red Hogwarts Express after their holiday. Upon their arrival at school, the Weasley twins had an important question for Nim.

"Did you set it off?"

"Was it glorious?"

"How did you accomplish it?"

"Did you get caught?"

At this, Nim laughed and said, "It was fantastic, my dear gingers, wonderfully fantastic!" Then she walked away with Katie and Angelina.

At dinner, the Weasley twins discretely showed her another, rather elaborate fire cracker and asked her what the implications of putting it in a snowman would be if they set it off as the first year Slytherins walked by. She thought for a minute.

"Well?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, Whadaya think, Nimsicle?" George said.

"I think that it would be dangerous," Nim said, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice, "I mean, it would force a bunch of snow at them, which could be interesting, but you would probably get detention which would be enough for your mum to send a howler. That would be your second one today."

"Hmmm, Fred, " George said, "Do you think it's worth it?"

"Definitely," Fred said as he got up from the table with his brother, "Coming Nim Whim?"

She sighed and got up, "I suppose I should go to make sure you don't blow yourselves up."

The firework show ended up being quite extraordinary and not at all dangerous. The Slytherins had been thoroughly covered in snow and bits of glitter which had apparently been in the fire cracker. The three ran to a bench on the other side of the courtyard so as not to be incriminated. However, when Dumbledore came out to investigate, he glanced at them with a twinkle in his eye. No howler came from Molly Weasley; all in all, it was a good first day back.

There was still snow on the ground in February when they all sat down for breakfast on Valentine's day. I it wasn't long before the twins spotted Percy at the Hufflepuff table talking to a girl from the quidditch team. When Percy walked back over to the Gryffindor table, the twins already had their taunts ready.

"Has Percy got an ickle girlfriend?" as ked George with glee.

"Are you her Valentine?" Fred asked, almost falling off the bench because he was laughing so hard.

Nim rolled her eyes and took a bite out of her eggs. Katie and Angelina were staring at Oliver Wood and giggling. There was no doubt that Oliver was an attractive boy, but she had a hard time understanding why they were so smitten with him. Honestly, as far as she knew, he had never spoken to them.

"He is so wonderful," Katie sighed

"And so talented," Angelina said dreamily.

"He is so out of your league," Nim said flatly.

They glanced up briefly at Nim, shrugged and went back to their gazing at Oliver Wood. Nim wondered for a moment if they had been slipped a love potion, but then decided that it was unlikely that if they had been slipped one that Wood was the first person they saw.

The owls came in, and that meant that the Daily Prophet had arrived. She smiled as she opened it, until she saw the front page. She abruptly shut the paper and attracted the attention of Fred and George who took the paper from her, despite her protests.

"Merlin's beard!" George exclaimed after they had wrestled it out of her grasp.

"You sure are strong, Nimentine!" Fred said as he opened the paper. The cheery demeanor of the twins quickly changed, and their faces fell. The Prophet article that she had been so eager to hide from them had been about their father.

"Injured in a raid!" George exclaimed

"Injured how?!" Fred nearly shouted at the paper. Percy, who had been ignoring the twins suddenly turned to them.

"What are you two going on about?" he demanded, "And why are you doing it so loudly?"

Fred shoved the paper into Percy's face and let him read it as the twins shared a look of despair. Nim racked her brains, trying to remember any mention of this. She was sure Arthur Weasley would be alright, but at the same time, she wasn't sure how to comfort the young Weasleys.

In Transfiguration, the twins were moaning about how their mother had not sent them and owl about their father. Nim wondered if maybe Mrs. Weasley had forgotten. _She always was a bit absentminded, before she went insane, anyway, _Nim thought as she pulled out a bit of parchment and her quill.

At dinner, the Weasley boys got an owl from their mother. Percy read it aloud, "Dear boys, I am so sorry that I didn't send you word about your father's condition! It completely slipped my mind! I assure you he is fine! Honestly it was nothing, you shouldn't worry about it. I wouldn't have even remembered it had that young lady it seems you are friend with hadn't sent me a little note about how worried you were!"

"Nothing?" George demanded

"It was 'something' enough to end up in the Daily Prophet," Fred said indignantly.

Nim rolled her eyes, "You know boys, sometimes the Quibbler is more reliable than that rag the Daily Prophet. I would listen to your mother." She got up from the table and the boys stared at her, bewildered; after all, there was nothing less factual than the Quibbler.


	14. Flowers in her Hair

The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts fell ill suddenly and Dumbledore cancelled that class until she was back on her feet. Therefore Nim had a free period. It was a warm day in April and Nim had her black hair braided down her back. When it was braided, it came down to her knees. Her mum had never wanted her to cut her hair, so even though it was now outrageously long, Nim had never cut it.

She had been sitting outside Hagrid's hut since the twins had gone into the Forbidden Forrest. Growing bored while waiting for them; she began to weave some flowers through her hair. There were some purple ones and some yellow ones. The flowers weren't supposed to be there, but had accidentally been planted when Professor Sprout threw out some seedlings.

She thought about the day before when she had been tutoring Katie for Transfiguration. It had been so hard to explain to Katie that Transfiguration was more than simply waving her wand. It was theory and bookwork and so many wonderful things.

She picked up her book which she had discarded next to a tree. And read the worn, brown pages. It had been a while since she had read a book for something more that school. She had hardly gotten through four pages when the twins walked back out of the woods.

"Giant spiders!" George said.

"Ron's gonna have tons of fun with them when he comes." Fred grinned

Nim stood up suddenly, "Acromantula?" Nim demanded, "How are you still alive if you've encountered one of those?"

"Careful planning,"

"And a bit of ingenuity."

Nim rolled her eyes, "Alright, then. We're going to be late for Transfiguration if we don't hurry," She checked her watch, "We'd better hurry." The three laughed and began to run up the hill to the casle.


	15. Tea with the Headmaster

Nim was sitting in the Great Hall, looking at her exam scores for the year. She had top marks in everything except potions, but she really hadn't expected top marks in that. Satisfied, she tuned into the conversations going on around her.

"We're going to France for the summer," Katie was saying

"Oh, mum's thinking about going to Spain," Angelina replied, "She wants to visit one of my uncles."

"Charlie says he's coming home from Romania," Fred said.

"And dad says that while he's home we might take a small trip," George continued.

"Don't get your hopes up," Percy grumbled under his breath. Nim elbowed him.

Suddenly, Nim realized that summer was coming. She had never really stopped to think about what would happen when the school year was over. She had always assumed that she would be back in her own time by the end of the year. She noticed her table go quiet and stare at something behind her.

The something turned out to be someone, and that someone was Professor Snape. Nim smiled brightly at him as he said, "I have a note her for you from the headmaster, Ms. Lewis," He handed her the note and then turned and walked back to the teacher's table.

She opened the note and read it. Once she had done so, she folded it back up and stuck it in the pocket of her robe, hitting a few vials of something as she did so. _Of course, _She thought to herself, _Dumbledore would want to discuss what I'm to do over the summer. I could get a job, maybe at honeydukes in Hogsmeade. I could do with some money._

Nim played hooky during the last days of class with the Weasley twins and Katie and Angelina. That afternoon, instead of going to the common room, she took a turn and walked toward Dumbledore's office. She muttered the password and was semi-surprised when the doors opened for her. She walked up the staircase and into the office.

"Good afternoon, Dora," Dumbledore said cheerily.

"Just 'Nim' will do, Headmaster," she replied, turning pink at the mention of her old name.

"Alright, Just Nim," Dumbledore said, "Would you like some tea?"

"Sure, Professor," Nim said, taking a seat in front of his desk. She took a glance around the room, noticing a time turner, among other things.

He handed her a cup of tea. "Have you thought at all about what you are going to do during this holiday?"

"I thought perhaps I would live in Hogsmeade and get a job, the third years say that Honeydukes is hiring."

"That sounds like a plan, Nim."

"It's not much of one," she said, "I only came up with it a few minutes ago."

"But aren't those the best plans?" Dumbledore asked with a smile, "Sudden bursts of brilliance."

"I suppose," Nim said, running her fingers through her long hair. They sat for a while, talking about nothing in particular. He congratulated her on her top marks in her class. She talked about exploding cauldrons in potions. After about an hour, Nim excused herself and returned to her room.

Everyone was bursting with questions when she returned. Where did she go? Who was she with? She shrugged away from the questions with a smile. The next morning she saw her friends off at the train platform.

"Aren't you coming, Nim?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, Nimmer Nammer, the train's leaving in a few minutes you should get on," George said.

"I'm not going to London, Fred, with my parents dead and no other relatives around, there's just no point. I'm staying in Hogsmeade over the summer." She said.

"Well," Katie said briskly, "Be sure to write to us over the summer,"

"See you, Nim," Angelina shouted.

Nim stood next to Hagrid and waved to her friends until the train disappeared and the last traces of smoke had disappeared. She then grabbed the handle of her trunk and walked with Hagrid toward Hogsmeade.

**AN: Thanks for following/favoriting! Feel free to review if you want! Thanks for reading!**


	16. The Rat

Nim was living in an upstairs room at Madame Rosmerta's pub. It was small, but nice, and it wasn't as if she was spending much time in her room anyway. Every morning, she donned her work uniform and walked to Honeydukes. They usually had her moving boxes and things.

They payed her well, by the first few days, she had enough money to open an account at Gringotts. Her boss insisted upon her not using magic to avoid problems later. Most of the time she obliged to his request, but occasionally, when he wasn't around, she would fly boxes up the stairs.

She still got letters from her friends, Katie was in France and was sure to send lots of pictures which Nim had stuck all over her room with a bit of Spellotape. Angelina sent her letters from Spain. This was all very normal, what wasn't normal, however, was Fred and George Weasley constantly sending her things to keep until they could return to Hogwarts so that their mum wouldn't find them.

Occasionally, she would run into a school acquaintance in Hogsmeade and they would go grab a butter beer and talk about what they had been doing over the summer. She went to visit Hagrid on Wednesdays when she had days off and she would see what odd creatures he had discovered since the last week she had been there.

One day in July, she was wandering around Diagon Alley, having gone there on her day off to buy her school things. She hadn't seen anyone she knew yet in all the bustle of school shopping. Suddenly she heard behind her someone yell,

"Nim Whim!" Nim turned around and saw that the person yelling was none other than Fred Weasley. She walked over to where he was standing with his family and grinned. Her face became very pale though, when she noticed how happy the family seemed.

Mrs. Weasley was standing there and attempting to count to make sure she had all of her children. Mr. Weasley was animatedly talking to a muggle father who had come to Diagon Alley with his daughter. George was throwing spitballs at Percy who was struggling to keep his rat in his pocket. Nim felt a sudden impulse to run into Percy, to make him drop the rat, to make it so the rat got trampled under the feet of the school shoppers.

For the rat that to them was known as Scabbers, was who she knew to be Peter Pettigrew a man who was instrumental in bringing the Dark Lord Voldemort back. She resisted, however and paid attention to the rest of the family. Fred was attempting to shout over everyone in the store. Ginny was whining about something to Charlie and was holding his hand. Ron was immersed in what appeared to be a book on Chudley Cannons statistics. Mrs. Weasley kept getting one too many children when she counted and seemed a bit confused until Fred and George pulled her up to their mother.

"Mum, meet Nim!" George said.

"Oh, hello, dear," Mrs. Weasley said kindly.

Nim walked around with the family for a while, still a bit disoriented by the happy family. She had never seen them happy. Just sad and crazy. And it was then that she decided that if she was still in this time during the battle of Hogwarts she would stop the family from falling apart.


	17. They Said She Couldn't

Nim was a bit relieved when school began in August. She walked back into the castle with her friends. For once, she was going to be able to be there the whole year. They sat and watched people being sorted and such. Dumbledore gave his normal speech. Everyone told her about their summers and she smiled and nodded.

_It's going to be a good year, _she thought to herself as she fell asleep on her first night back. She kept this frame of mind until the second week of school when all the people in her classes began talking about quiddich tryouts.

"Going out for beaters," Fred and George said one day in a conversation.

Now, quiddich had never interested her at all. Her childhood friends had played and she hadn't even watched. She never would have minded at this point either, if it hadn't been for Michael Ramhorn. He was a Slytherin and he loved to make the Gryffindors' lives miserable. He revealed to everyone that she didn't even know how to play.

From that point on, she was a joke, they whispered about her behind her back. Saying things about how she wasn't a real witch because she couldn't play and that even if she tried out she would never make it.

One Saturday morning in August, she strode into the boy's dormitory and shook Fred Weasley and then shook him until both twins were awake.

Fred stared at her, "Whadaya want, Nim Whim, it's too early!" He tried to roll over and go back to sleep. She poured some cold water on his face and said.

"Teach me how to play quiddich."

"You don't even like quiddich, Nim," George mumbled, "Why learn now?"

"Because they told me I couldn't," She growled, "now get dressed."

"Fine," Fred said. Nim left the room to let them get dressed and sat on the couch holding the broom she had sent for. The twins came out of their dormitory, grumbling. Together, they walked out to the pitch.

First thing about quiddich," Fred began.

"Is the rules," George finished.

"So first, there are the beaters." Fred started

"There are only two, and you're trying out for that, I don't want to be a beater. I know the rules Fred."

"Okay," Said Gorge, slowly, sizing her up, "How about Keeper?"

They got up in the air and started to practice with Nim as keeper. She wasn't very good and she missed all of the balls. Then, they just stopped. She was holding a Quaffle at one goal and angrily hurled it through the opposite hoop. Fred's eyes went wide, "I think that we've had you in the wrong spot all day." There was a bit of awe in his voice.

They spent a while working on Nim's aim when someone was in front of the hoops. This was what she was better equipped for. Only two of the times she threw did the ball not make it through the hoop. And she was quite sure that it was because they had gotten frustrated and started using magic.

Nim went to tryouts the next day, and the captain, Oliver Wood was so impressed he took her on the team without hesitation, the twins made it too and they had a victory celebration in the common room.


	18. Slytherins and Injuries

The quiddich season had started late that year. Nim was up on her broom in her Gryffindor robes trying to avoid the Slytherins who seemed to be fouling everyone twice as much. Nim glanced around after catching the Quaffle in her right hand. The match had been going on for hours with no sign of the snitch.

She noticed a Slytherin Chaser aiming another Quaffle at the Seeker who wasn't paying any attention to anything except looking for the snitch. She quickly calculated what she should do. She looked at her Quaffle and then back to the Slytherin's broom. She smiled, _If I could make it look like an accident…_ She aimed the Quaffle at the end of the Slytherin's broom. If she hit it just right it would look like she had been aiming for the goal and the broom was in the way and it would knock the player's broom just enough to mess up the Slytherin's aim at the Seeker.

Just as the Chaser began to throw the ball, Nim hurled her Quaffle. It hit the tiniest part of the Slytherin's broom and then sailed past the keeper of the other goal and through the hoop. The seeker looked startled as the Quaffle whizzed by her ear and then she saw it. The snitch had been hovering next to the Chaser's foot until he had moved. The Gryffindor Seeker dove for the snitch and caught it, holding it up for the stadium to see with a grin.

They were all heading back to the ground and the Slytherin team was still being overly rough with everyone. Nim heard someone whisper in her ear, "I saw what you did." The next thing she knew, she was falling. Then all went dark.

Nim awoke much later in the infirmary with a splitting headache. Madame Pomfrey walked in as she woke and said with a smile, "Quite a tumble you took there, my dear. It's a wonder you haven't any broken bones."

"No," Nim grumbled, "Just a splitting headache."

Madame Pomfrey looked at her sympathetically, "Well, it should comfort you a bit to know that Professor Snape has punished Mr. Ramhorn quite severely."

Nim nodded and was about to close her eyes again when the Weasley twins burst into the infirmary, still in their quiddich robes.

"Nimmers!" George exclaimed.

"What are you two doing here?" Nim demanded with as much of a smile as she could manage, "Shouldn't you be off celebrating our victory?"

"Yeah," Fred said, "But we got a bit bored,"

"And we were like, 'what about Nimmer Nammer?' Shouldn't we make sure she hasn't damaged her beautifully strong arm and her ingenious mind that has helped us in so many situations?" George finished.

"Alright," Nim said, "So what exactly happened after I fell?"

"Well, Professor McGonagall softened your landing, but you still fell hard," George started.

"And then when we were all on the ground, Professor Snape was furious with Ramhorn. That wasn't usual at all, now was it, George," Fred said conversationally.

"Yeah, while they were carting you off to Madame Pomfrey, Snape gave Ramhorn such a talking to… Oh! And Ramhorn is banned from playing for the rest of the season!"

"Serves him right," Nim moaned, rubbing her temples in a futile attempt to ward off the pounding in her head.

"Then," Fred continued, "Wood almost cried because we won for once. Then, we went back to the common room to party."

"Well, not Angelina and Katie," George interjected, "They came up here to check on you first."

"Wonderful," Nim said smiling.

Madame Pomfrey, who had been standing there with a bewildered look on her face then said, "Yes, it's all quite wonderful. Now, Ms. Lewis needs to rest if she's to get back to classes. So if you two would run along…"

Fred and George turned to leave and Nim allowed herself to fall asleep again.

**AN: As always, reviews are welcome! Thanks for follow/favoriting! And thanks for reading!**


	19. The Blue Scarf

There was a light blanket of snow over the grounds of Hogwarts. It was nearly Christmas and the grounds had been decorated with red flowers from Professor Sprout's greenhouse. Nim walked across the courtyard in the snow with her coat pulled around her slim shoulders. She felt a snow ball hit the back of her head. She turned slowly to glare at Fred and George.

"AAAGH!" Fred screamed, "We've awoken the beast!"

Nim laughed and picked up some snow. She promptly threw it at George. They ran around in the snow for a while until the train whistle blew. The twins shot her an apologetic look as they ran toward the red steam engine.

Nim sighed and watched the train leave the station. She pulled her jacket around herself again and walked into the castle. She walked slowly to Professor McGonagall's office to check out before going to work.

She spent a bit longer in Hogsmeade than she intended. After work she meandered through the streets and found some different things which she bought with some of her money. She found something for Angelina and Katie. Then, she walked into the apothecary to find some explosives for Fred and George.

She returned to Hogwarts and walked into the dining hall where she didn't eat much. She found it harder to forget about her past- or future- she wasn't really sure how to describe her pervious life. She left dinner abruptly and sat in front of the common room fire to wrap the presents she was sending.

The next morning she walked carefully up the stairs of the Owlery. The stairs were slippery and the rails weren't of much use. She watched the owl fly away with a smile. She stared at the stairs and worried about the journey down them. She glanced at the stair rail of the Owlery and smiled. She sat on the rail and slid down, laughing.

The next day was Christmas and Nim awoke, once again expecting nothing. But, she was wrong, Katie had sent her another bag of licorice, Angelina sent her a skirt, _always the fashionable one, that Angelina, _Nim thought to herself. The next thing she got was an oddly wrapped package from the twins. She found inside the package two vials of a sparkly blue liquid which she was quite certain had some explosive capability. Dumbledore had sent a box of lemon drops which made her smile a bit. The next package, however, was even more unexpected than the others. It was neatly wrapped in brown paper and string. Nim opened it carefully and saw a note inside.

_Dear Nim, The twins have told me, quite offhand if I may add, that you spend Christmas without your family. They even told me, a bit too casually for comfort, that your family is dead! Well! I couldn't just let you spend Christmas without any practical gifts could I? Anyway, dear, Merry Christmas! ~Mrs. Weasley._

Nim grinned and pulled out a hand knitted blue scarf. She laughed a bit when she noticed on the left side that Mrs. Weasley had stitched her initials, NL, into the blue yarn. It was soft. She wrapped it around her neck and walked out of the common room and toward the Great Hall for breakfast.


	20. Spectacular Show

Valentine's Day has never been celebrated in the wizarding world the way it is in the muggle. Wizards are hardly fans of bright pinks and purples, or smelly perfumes, or love ballads with happy endings. They do, however, quite enjoy the candy, and embarrassing others for showing love during the holiday.

This particular Valentine's Day, Fred and George came up to Nim at breakfast, very excited about something they had just received in the mail. The showed it to her and she gave them a bit of a suspicious look, "Is this going to make me glittery?"

"No, dear Nimmers, it's going to explode," George said with a grin.

She threw it back at him, "Why give it to me then?" she demanded, "Go throw it at the Slytherins!"

"Oi!" Fred said, "We didn't mean that it was going to explode now!"

"Yeah," George said, "It's a firework!"

"Ah" Nim said, taking a sip of her juice.

"C'mon, Nim!" Fred exclaimed.

"At least _pretend_ to be interested!" George said.

She rolled her eyes, "Fine," she said, "What are you going to do with it?"

"Set it off, obviously," George said with an over exaggerated roll of his eyes.

"Yeah, tonight at dinner," Fred added with glee.

"Well," Nim said sarcastically, "At least you have a plan."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Fred demanded.

"It means that no matter how you execute this plan, you are going to get detention," Nim said, frustrated with them.

"So?" George asked, throwing an arm around her shoulders casually.

"Yeah, so?" Fred asked scooting closer to her and putting his arm around her waist.

"You want me to help, don't you?" she asked with a sigh.

"If it's not too much trouble," Fred grinned

"Yes, we wouldn't want to inconvenience you," George continued.

She carefully detangled herself from the twins who were sitting on either side of her and smiled a bit, "Fine, see you later,"

She got up from the table and walked away, noticing the twins high-fiving at the table. Professor Snape was in a particularly foul mood that day. However, as the day went on, Nim found that he was the only one acting out of the ordinary.

At half past seven, Nim met Fred and George outside the huge wooden doors of the Great Hall. They were grinning and staring at the Marauder's Map. She walked up to them and coughed loudly when they didn't notice.

Fred looked up, startled, "Mischief managed," he said quickly.

"What do you want me to do?" She asked, suddenly a bit afraid of what they would say.

"Well, Nim Nam," George began.

"We are most glad you asked," Fred continued. The two proceeded to explain their plan to Nim.

A few moments later, Fred and George bounded into the Great Hall and with a giant leap, Fred bounded onto the Hufflepuff table and George hopped onto the Ravenclaw table, wands ready. Fred signaled to Nim. She skipped into the Great Hall, gave a big grin to Professor Dumbledore, threw the firework into the air, and then threw herself to the ground to avoid the effects of what was to occur next.

As soon as Nim threw the firework, Fred and George cast some sparks from their wand at the firework and then jumped back down from the tables to see the glorious show. The firework exploded in vibrant pinks and purples and interesting Valentines shapes. Nim heard the people in the Great Hall laughing in delight while Snape and Professor McGonagall tried in vain to keep order. She looked up from her spot on the floor and noticed Dumbledore chuckling.

The twins walked over to Nim after the show and offered one hand each to help her off the floor. She took their hands and got up with a hop.

"That was our most spectacular stunt yet," Fred said.

"Yes," replied George, "Don't you think, Nim,"

"Indeed, boys," Nim grinned, standing between them and taking Fred's left arm and George's in her right. Together, the three walked out of the Great Hall and into their common room, followed by smoke from the fireworks.


	21. Leprechaun Day

It was March. The green was returning to the grass of the Hogwarts grounds and the snow was melting slowly, leaving the grounds with a certain sparkle that cannot be seen at any other time of the year. The songbirds were slowly returning and waking the students with their merry tunes in the mornings.

Nim sat at the breakfast table with her head lying on her arms. She had stayed up late studying for Professor Snape's class. It seemed that any good will she had earned with him had been lost over the course of the year. The past few days had been the most stressful of all the time she had spent at Hogwarts.

Fred and George walked in with mischievous grins on their faces and sat down on either side of her. "You know what today is?" they asked her in unison.

"Tuesday," she mumbled.

"Yes, but?" Fred asked expectantly.

"She doesn't know!" George said with a grin.

"Alright!" she said picking her head up off the table, "What day is it?"

"It's leprechaun day," Fred whispered.

"What?" she asked

"It's the day we go into the forbidden forest to find the leprechauns!" George exclaimed with glee.

"And you, Nim Whim, are cordially invited to join us!" Fred exclaimed.

She looked at them for a moment, "We have a test in Herbology tomorrow."

"It won't take long to find the leprechauns!" the twins exclaimed.

"Fine," she murmured, letting her head drop back onto the table.

**AN: Sorry I haven't updated in a while! School just got super crazy! As always, reviews and follow/favorites are always welcome!**


	22. April Showers

"Double potions today," Fred groaned at breakfast.

"With the Slytherins," George moaned.

"I doubt it," Nim said, briskly sitting down and swinging her bag to the ground, "I just overheard Dumbledore and Snape talking."

"About what?" George asked.

"Do the Slytherins have the plague?" Fred asked with a hopeful grin.

"Has potions class been outlawed by the ministry?" Katie asked, overhearing.

Nim rolled her eyes, "No-"

"Well don't keep us in suspense, Nim Whim," Fred interrupted

"You know all the rain we've been having?" Nim asked.

"Yeah," Katie said, "Most rain I've ever seen that wasn't enchanted."

"Well, it's flooded the dungeons!" Nim said, proud of herself for finding out such wonderful news.

"Brilliant!" George grinned.

"We'll have time to practice quiddich during the break!" Katie said with glee.

"Shhhhhhhh!" the other three said, furtively glancing at Oliver Wood, "Don't let him hear you!"

"Why not?" Katie demanded, pulling George's hand away from her mouth, "Extra practice is a good thing!"

"We've got a transfiguration essay due tomorrow that I want to finish during the break!" Nim exclaimed.

"And George and I have to do Professor Binn's essay from two weeks ago if we don't want another howler from mum!" Fred said.

"You see, Katie, it's not that we don't want to practice quiddich, but the teachers are piling everything onto us at the last minute and-"

Katie interrupted Nim, "No I get it, I just wasn't really thinking about schoolwork when you were talking about a break from potions class."

Nim grinned and took another spoonful of oatmeal just as Professor Dumbledore walked up to the front of the Great Hall. "Ladies and Gentlemen, a tragedy has occurred," he began, the students started whispering amongst themselves, "I am afraid our potions dungeons have been flooded in a horrible twist of fate. Potions classes will be suspended until we remove all the water."

Several students cheered. Nim laughed, thinking of everything she could do now that potions had been cancelled.

That night, Nim sat in the common room in an armchair by the fire, reading a book from the restricted section on transfiguration that Professor McGonagall had suggested. Fred and George were shooting enchanted spit balls at the back of Percy's head. Katie was carefully cleaning the end of her broomstick which she had apparently set fire to accidentally. Angelina was sitting on a couch, flipping through the newest addition of _Witches Wardrobe_ magazine.

Nim smiled, not thinking about anything but that moment.


	23. Tea Time Again

"One"

"Two"

"Three"

Nim, Fred, and George tore open their exam scores while lying on a grassy field. The twins shrugged upon seeing their scores and Nim smiled, she had gotten top marks in everything except potions. Just then, Professor Snape appeared next to her head, "A note from Professor Dumbledore."

She raised her hand to grab it and then Snape walked away. Nim smiled and jumped up, "See ya later, boys!" she said as she skipped off to the office of Professor Dumbledore.

She arrived in his office and gave him a warm smile, "Good afternoon, Professor," she said.

"Good afternoon, Nim" He said with a smile, "would you like some tea?"

"Certainly, Professor," Nim said, plopping down in an armchair. He handed her a cup of tea and she took a sip of it.

"Well, Nim, what are your plans for this summer?" he asked

"The same as last year," she said, quietly, she hadn't really thought about summer what with exams and everything.

"So you'll be staying with Madame Rosemerta again?" he asked.

She smiled, "Yes, Professor, and I'll be working full time at Honeydukes over the summer."

"A wonderful plan," Dumbledore said. There was a lull in the conversation. It wasn't awkward, just different. Finally Dumbledore said, "Nim, you need to promise me something."

"Yes Professor?"

"Harry Potter will be coming to Hogwarts this year," he said slowly.

"I know."

"Promise you won't reveal any details of the future regarding him- or Lord Voldemort."

Dumbledore looked surprised when Nim didn't wince at the name, but shrugged it off.

"I promise, Professor." Nim said softly, "But I cannot promise that I won't act on any of the information I know." Her eyes had a distant look, she was thinking about the night, so long ago when she had witnessed the death of George Weasley.

"Of course not," Professor Dumbledore said brightly.

She smiled and she finished her tea. She walked out of the office, bidding farewell to the headmaster, _I'm starting to think this is a yearly thing, _she thought as she walked to the Gryffindor common room.

**AN: Thanks for all the reviews (more are welcome). Thanks for following/favoriting!**


	24. What If

June was hardly an exciting month for Nim. Her days were laced with monotony and loneliness. She missed her friends and wished she could do something exciting for her holiday instead of working at Honeydukes.

If Nim was being truly honest with herself she would realize that the only reason that the summer wasn't very fun for her was because when she was alone and had a lot of time on her hands, she thought about her family and her past life. She missed them.

On warm afternoons, Nim lay on her bed in the small upper room at Madame Rosemerta's and read the Daily Prophet. It was through doing this that she found that Professor Quirrell had been appointed as the new defense against the dark arts teacher. A chill ran up her spine. _And so it begins, _ she thought mournfully.

Fred and George often sent her letters about their summer. They talked about how they had blown up one of their beds and shattered their sister's window. She sighed, _They are never going to grow up._

Angelina came for brief visits, talking about her internship at the _Witches Wardrobe_ magazine. Nim never really found it interesting and listened politely while eating her ice cream. Nim's hair had grown so long and thick that the only thing she could do with it was braid it. Any logical person would have cut it at that point, but she was attached to her hair. Her mother had loved it and never wanted it cut.

A sick feeling grew in her stomach and dark thoughts formed in the back of her mind. _What if my presence ruins things? What if Harry doesn't succeed this time? What if…. What if… HE wins? What happens then? Will everything change? What will I do? Will someone else have to fight Voldemort? What about Fred? And George! And Angie and Katie? What if I ruin everything?_

**AN: Thanks for the reviews and stuff everyone! **


	25. Express Train

Nim sat on the Hogwarts Express in her customary compartment. Though it was rather paintless to take the train in her situation, went because she enjoyed it.

"Lee Jordan's got a tarantula!" George exclaimed as he ran in.

Nim jumped up, "Brilliant!" They ran down the train to see the spider, laughing until they heard Percy shout.

"Slow down!" He said, "This is a train, not a playground!"

"Oh, yeah," Fred said, drily, "Percy's been made prefect."

Nim smiled, "Well, good, he deserves it." They saw the spider and went back into their compartment. Fred and George began chattering about Hogsmeade visits. Nim zoned out, beginning to think about a conversation she had had with Dumbledore just before she had gotten on the train…

_"What __**are**__ we going to do about you Nim?"_

_ "Professor?"_

_ "I mean what are we going to do about your going to Hogsmeade this year?"_

_ "Oh, well, maybe you could sign my permission form?"_

_ "I'm not your guardian."_

_ "Close enough."_

_ "I see your point; I suppose I could sign it."_

"Nim," Freed jostled her, "Do you want anything off the trolley?"

She pulled a few galleons from her robe pocket, hitting a few vials of something as she did. She had gotten the hem in her robe let out over the summer because she had grown a few inches. She ate her chocolate frog as Angelina walked into the compartment with a funny look on her face; "A frog jumped on my head!" She wailed.

Nim looked up at her from the Quibbler she was reading and gave her a sympathetic look. _It was probably Neville's frog…. _She thought to herself. Angelina plopped down on the velvet seat across from Nim and Katie, who was behind her, followed suit. They got to Hogwarts and took their seats in the Great Hall. Suddenly, Nim became very afraid that something would go wrong and Harry would end up in the wrong place. However, to her relief, nothing out of the ordinary happened. She enjoyed her food and her friends and only when Dumbledore mentioned the third floor corridor did she become worried again.


End file.
